3472. CORRESPONDENCES AND REPRESENTATIONS - continued

ESPECIALLY THOSE CONTAINED IN THE WORD

Every single thing in the sense of the letter of the Word is representative of something spiritual or celestial belonging to the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and in the highest sense is representative of the Lord Himself. This becomes clear from what has been shown already, and in the Lord's Divine mercy from what has yet to be shown. But because people have distanced themselves so far away from heaven and have engrossed themselves in nature far below, indeed in what is earthly, they are utterly repelled when told that the Word conceals deeper things than those grasped from the letter. They are even more repelled when told that the Word contains things that are beyond man's mental grasp and that are suited only to the wisdom of the angels; and they are still more repelled when told that it contains Divine things themselves infinitely transcending the angels' power of understanding. The Christian world does indeed acknowledge that the Word is Divine; but the fact that it is so Divine the Christian world nevertheless denies in its heart if not with its lips. Nor is this surprising since the earthly-mindedness which exists in people at the present day does not allow them to grasp more exalted things; nor do they wish to.